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McCarthy on McAdoo: 'He's ready and deserving'

Green Bay Packers tight ends coach Ben McAdoo against the Philadelphia Eagles during a recent game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Photo by Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette(Photo: File/Press-Gazette Media)

Ben McAdoo, who served eight seasons as an assistant coach with the Green Bay Packers, officially was named the head coach of the New York Giants on Thursday. He’s the second assistant to serve under McCarthy to become an NFL head coach, joining former offensive coordinator Joe Philbin.

McAdoo, 38, was one of the inaugural members of McCarthy’s coaching staff when the Packers hired him as their head coach in 2006. The two met in the early 2000s when McAdoo, then a fledgling college assistant, reached out to McCarthy, who was the New Orleans Saints’ offensive coordinator at the time.

The two natives of Western Pennsylvania had a lot in common with both previously serving as graduate assistants at the University of Pittsburgh. After a phone conversation, McAdoo drove all night from Connecticut to Indianapolis where McCarthy was for the NFL scouting combine.

“He had called me on the phone, was seeking an opportunity just to talk football,” McCarthy recalled Thursday morning. “Then the next day at lunch, when I was coming back from the workouts at the combine, Ben was sitting in the hotel lobby waiting for me. He drove all night just for an opportunity to sit down and talk football.

“So that’s my first impression of Ben McAdoo and then obviously to what he’s put himself in position for, it’s just no surprise. Tremendously dedicated, not just to his family but to the coaching profession.”

McCarthy helped McAdoo land a job with the Saints as an offensive quality control coach in 2004 and then brought him to San Francisco in 2005 as an offensive line coach and quality control coach. McAdoo coached Green Bay’s tight ends for six seasons before moving to quarterbacks in 2012 and 2013.

Former Giants coach Tom Coughlin hired McAdoo as offensive coordinator after McAdoo let his contract expire after the 2013 season. In his two seasons in New York, McAdoo oversaw an offense that jumped from 28th in total yards to 10th and eighth the past two seasons. The 420 points the Giants scored this season were the fifth-highest total in franchise history.

Under McAdoo's watch, Giants quarterback Eli Manning also bounced back from a career-worst 69.4 passer rating in 2013 to register his best (93.6) this past season.

“I’m very happy for Ben and (his wife) Toni to be in this position and the opportunity that’s in front of him,” McCarthy said. “I can’t tell you how proud I am of him and the job he’s done over the years. He’s definitely ready and deserving.”

According to multiple New York-based reports, Philbin is expected to join McAdoo’s staff in some capacity. Philbin went 24-28 in three-plus seasons as the Miami Dolphins’ head coach before he was fired on Oct. 5.